
Class JERofK__ 
Book : SS) 



Copyright^ 



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COPYRIGHT DEPOSffi 



Stevenson's Baby Book 

BEING THE RECORD OF 

THE SAYINGS AND DOINGS 

OF ROBERT LOUIS BALFOUR STEVENSON 

SON OF 



THOMAS STEVENSONjC.E. 



AND MARGARET ISABELLA BALFOUR 
OR STEVENSON 

flu 



SAN FRANCISCO 

PRINTED FOR JOHN HOWELL 

BY JOHN HENRY NASH 

19 2 2 



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COPYRIGHT, I922, BY JOHN HOWELL, SAN FRANCISCO 

PUBLISHED NOVEMBER, I922 

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

IMPERIAL AND INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT SECURED 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED IN ALL COUNTRIES 



DEC 



IS r 22//7 



©3I.AG9C622 



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TO ALL CHILDREN, 

BIG AND LITTLE, WHO LOVE STEVENSON, 

THIS PUBLICATION IS 

DEDICATED. 



«»'Fa£Ei*jt &£«&»!*-<& 



'K.'-**"^*«MILS «**!*# L?V 



A Note to the Reader 

This Baby Record was meant by theyoung 
mother who wrote it, as all such Records 
are,tokeep for memory s sake,an account 
of the first years of her adored child. A few of 
the notes were added by her in later years. 

What gives this Record extraordinary value, 
what sets it apart from countless others ', under- 
taken in the same sweet cause, is that it proved 
to be the first chapter of the biography of one of 
the best- loved men who ever lived; and, it will 
not need to bepointedout,the contents foreshadow 
in spirit, originality and imagination the great 
man the wee laddie was to become. 

The mother was Margaret Isabella Balfour 
Stevenson and the babe was Robert Louis Bal- 
four Stevenson. With every passing year this 
Baby Record grew a more precious possession to 
the mother. On her death, which followed soon 
after that of her famous son, the Record passed 
into the keeping of her sister, fane Whyte Bal- 
four, the "Auntie" of the "Child's Garden of 



:«kAMviw K^fsfli^SMWBR^BiM^ae^^Stfafcc m*>*idr'3i.- 



Verse." But "Auntie" was already old. It was 
her concern to give this precious volume to one 
who would regard it with equal affeSi Hon. She 
chose another young mother, a relative by mar- 
riage^ who, too, had a little son. 

Since then many years have passed. 'The Baby 
Record, always in the new owner s keeping,has 
traveledfar; sometimes in a satchel on trains 
and ocean steamers, again hidden in dark bank 
vaults in widely dispersed cities. 

Now, after long treasuring it as a personal 
possession, it is offered in fee simple that it may 
reach many other lovers of Robert Louis Ste- 
venson. Katharine D. Osbourne. 




wm.ri'YL. i j-^sthsartr ..-&^w.<M«a ■»-.-.>.• 



BABY'S «(» 



BY 



R. I. W. 




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LONDON: 

Field 6* Tuer, The Leadenha/l Press, E.C. 

Simptin, Marsha// 6* Co. ; Hamilton, Adams 6* Co. 

New York : Scribner 6* We/ford, 743 6* 745, Broadway. 

[COPYRIGHT 



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<P%EF<ylCE. 



QAs young mothers delight in nothing more 
than the comparisons of their children^ early 
attainments, no excuse is needed in dedicating 
to them this concise registry of their darling's 
doings. 

The record will in many cases prove an 
invaluable aid to the doctor in the treatment 
of illnesses in later life. 




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Weight 

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First Sentence, 

First Visit to the Sea 

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CHARACTERISTICS. 




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THE 

TRANSCRIPTION OF THE 

TEXT OF 

Stevenson's Baby Book 



THE RECORD OF THE SAYINGS 
AND DOINGS OF 

Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson 

WRITTEN BY HIS MOTHER 
MARGARET ISABELLA BALFOUR OR STEVENSON 

[Seepages 8 and io.~\ 

Mrs. Sayers was sent for about 2 a. m. on the 10 th of De- 
cember.Tom and I had seen baby washed for the first time 
on the evening before andTom had remarked" I trust it may 
never fall to my lot to wash a baby." When I was told that 
Mrs. S. was sent for I began to cry saying"I have never even 
washed him yet" to which Tom replied "Toots, such non- 
sense, I '11 wash the child myself" which made me laugh 
when I remembered his solemn speech made a few hours 
before. Mrs. Alan Stevenson's nurse Guest came twice a day 
to wash him till we got aMrs.Thomson,awidow,as nurse. 
She stayed three months and was very unsatisfactory, and 
at last we found out that she drank, so we sent her away and 
got a very lively active woman called Mackenzie, a capital 
worker. She stayed until he was 1 8 months old and then 
"Alison Cunningham" to whom the "Child's Garden of 
Verse" is dedicated, came. 

[See page p.] Birth 

Place of Birth: 8 Howard Place, Edinburgh. 

Time of Birth: Wednesday 1 3 th ,November 1 8 50 at i .30 p.m. 

Color of Eyes: Blue at first turning to hazel. 

Color of Hair: Very fair almost none at first. 

Nurse s Name: Mrs. Sayers. 

BoclorsName: Dr. Malcolm. 



39 



Names 

Surname: Stevenson. 

Christian Names: Robert Louis Balfour. 

Pet Names: Boulihasker, Smoutie, Baron Broadnose, Sig- 
nor Sprucki,otherwise, Maister Sprook and many others, 
but Smoutie stuck to him until he was about 15. 

[See page 11.1 
First Prayer. "Jesus tender Shepherd.'' 

[See page 12.] ^i 

March 25 th : Short Coated. 

June 10 th : Says Bab-Bab. 

June 20 th : Got Shoes on. 

June 25 th : Weaned. 

June 27 th : Can creep backwards. 

June 30 th : Sits up alone and can creep forwards. 

July 13 th : 8 months old, pulls himself up by the sides of his 
bed. 

July 29 th : Pulls himself up by a stool. 

August 25 th : Smoutie climbed up the stairs at Portobello 
(1 8 steps) His father followed him all the way with a very 
proud face. This month he also learns to shew how big he 
is— clap his hands (the backs) read a book and eat a piece- 
got boots on. 

September 19 th : Stands alone for the first time and begins to 
evince a decided partiality for eggs. 

[See page 13.1 Early Incidents 

Fir st Journey: to Colinton Manse at three months old. 

First Crawl: June 27 th backwards, 30 th forwards. 

Fir st Walk : October 4 th walks 3 steps alone. 11 th fairly off. 

First Word: June 10 th , Bab-Bab. 



4.0 



[Seepage 14.] Additional — 18/1 

November ij th : Our darling boy a whole year old to-day. 
He is running about famously, calls Tom "Mama" and 
warms his hands at the fire, blows out lights and talks a 
great deal in an unknown tongue besides numerous other 
accomplishments of a like nature. 

November 22 nd : Baby deprived of his bottle. 

1852 

January 13 th : Smout gives up his forenoon sleep and calls 
books "oufs" because he expects to find pictures of dogs 
in them. 

July: This month we spent three days at Burntisland where 
Smout made many friends particularly Mr. Laidlaw the 
landlord of the Inn, with whom he walked about on the 
most intimate terms. 

August: Portobello. Smout went to English Chapel on 1 5 th 
and behaved uncommonly well. He comes into prayers 
every morning now. Mr. D. Constable says that Smout 
understands pictures better than any child of his age that 
he ever saw. 

September: Smout begins to be fond of stories and sometimes 
asks to be told about "the big stick" meaning Cain and 
Abel, that, and Daniel among the "growlers" are his fa- 
vourites. 

OElober y th : Smout walked all the way to Saxecoburg Hall 
and back with me to call on Aunt Marion. 

Oftober 23 rd : Smout knows all the story of Eve and Uncle 
Tom, besides a great many out of the Bible, including the 
flood and the burning bush. He remembers them won- 
derfully well. 



+' 



November ? th : SmoutinColinton Church with Cummy. He 
sat in the front Gallery as grave as a judge the whole time. 
When asked who preached, he said " Gatty ( Grandfather) 
and a man"(the precentor). When he was shown my pic- 
ture with curls, which I have given up, he said "Mama 
brushing her hair to make it all tidy." When he saw his 
shadow on the walljhe said "The shadow hands all dirty." 

[See page 15.] 

Otlober 4 th : Smout walked 3 steps alone. 

Oclober 11 th : Almost fairly off now. 

December 14 th : Poor Smout very ill— a feverish cold— Dr. 
Hunter scarifies his gums. 

December 16 th : Hesays Aggie and Dea(Jane)and tries Mary. 
He mourns over the poor drowned boy in the nursery 
and scolds "naughty Oliver" (little statuette of Oliver 
Cromwell). 

Diary 0/1852 lost, found later. 

1653 

January 4 th : Smout said " Mama call me Meddlesome Mat- 
ty because my touch every sing." 

January 8 th : Smout told Papa he had been in the mantelpiece 
gardens (experimental). 

January 10 th : When Smout was told Grandpapa has got a 
coach with a cover he said "Is it a banket?" 

January 17 th : Smout said "What will follow me, Cummy?" 
alluding to the last verse of the 23 rd Psalm. 

January 22 nd : Smout at his first party at Forth Street. He 
was very good and shouted with delight when he saw the 
maeic lantern. 



4.2 



[See pages 16 and 18. ] 1 8/3 

January 23 rd : Smout' s first words this morning were " Did 
Uncle David show it to me, Mama ?" He was at Church at 
Free St. Bernards to-day and behaved remarkably well. 

January 25 th : Smout at the Zoological Gardens — highly 
pleased and very courageous — he went close to the"Eel- 
infault" and even in the tiger house said "My not tight- 
ened." 

January 31 st : Smout begins to walk up stairs like a biped. 

February 17 th : Smout begins to say a prayer as well as his 
hymn. After Smout went out he expressed great distress 
because he had not made <c an elegant bow to Mama." 

February 19 th : When Smout forgets to say please he corrects 
himself and says "Oh that is the pittie way to ask it." 

March 6 th : Smout' s Canary dies. 

March y th : To-day Cummy buried it in the back green and 
Smout came and told me that "She put dirt upon it." 

March 8 th : When Smout says his prayers he asks "Is my 
speaking to God?" 

March 10 th : Dear little Smout very ill with an attack of 
croup. He had on a mustard plaster on his chest and two 
leeches on his dear little foot— when he saw the blood he 
said" Cover it up, cover it up." The bites had to be burned 
with caustic. He was very patient, dear little man, but ac- 
cused Cummy of hurting him. 

March if h : Better but pallid. 

March 20 th : Cummy fears Smout's affliclion has not done him 
good as he is much averse to prayers, hymns and all good 
things. 

April 3 rd : When I was telling Smout about the naughty 
woman pouring the ointment on Christ he said "But Ma- 
ma why did God make the woman so naughty?" 



*3 



— 



April 15 th : Colinton Manse. Smout is so happy in dear 
Grandpapa's house that he says he will not go home again. 

April 16 th : Auntie was telling Smout about an owl, and said 
that it could not see in the daylight; he immediately said 
"Oh auntie, you might put up the gas for it." 

April 17 th : Smout at Church and behaved very well. Johnnie 
and Noona are quite surprised because Smout says prayers 
out of his head. This is because he puts in the name of 
everybody in the house of his own accord. 

April 23 rd : Home to-day. Smout in great dispair his only 
comfort being that he will see Bo and Mary. 

[Seepage 17.] Vaccination 

By whom performed ;Dr. Malcolm. 
Bate: July 1 8 th , 1 85 1. 

Weight and Growth 

Growth at two years, 2 feet 9 inches. 
Weight at two years, 27 lbs. 

[Seepa g ei 9 .-] Amusements 

Pet Animals 
Coolin,aSkye terrier was given to him just before he was 7 
years old and was his constant companion ever after. Cool- 
in could play at hide and seek and do many tricks. 

[See page 20.~\ 

May 20 th : Smout at Free Church, Bridge of Allan with Cum- 
my and was very good. He got a sweetie before he went 
in and kept it in his hand the whole time. The servant in 
our lodgings thinks he should be "put in the papers" as 
something extraordinary. 

June 13 th : On the way to Church, Smout made the an- 
nouncement that he "liked the white ministers best." 



** 



June 28 th : Smout at Logie Church with us, he said he saw 
"Two babies getting their faces washed." 

July 24 th : Smout at Pilrig Church with Cummy when he 
came home he told us "The furthest down minister (the 
precentor) roared as loud as ever he could." 
Smout's favourite occupation is "making a Church" He 
makes a pulpit with a chair and stool and reads sitting and 
then stands up and sings by turns. 

August : Went to St. Andrews. There was a cat in the house 
(Bell Street) which delighted Smout very much, when it 
purred he said it was singing "joyful." 

August 4 th : Smout is delighted with the ruins of the Bish- 
op's palace and the story of"Caudel Betel" and the bottle 
dungeon. He gets a bit of paper tied to a string, standing 
on a chair and shews the way the man shews the dungeon. 

{See page 21.] Dates of Sickness 

Mumps. July 23 rd , 1 855. Very easily well on the 28 th . 

{Seepages 22 a?id 2J.~\ 

August 11 th : Smout's weight— 2 stone, i-lb. He rides on a 
donkey almost every day and likes it. He rides beautifully 
without being held on. 

September: At Prestonpans we have a donkey of our own 
and Smout calls it"Sashy."The weather is so cold and 
windy that he is very seldom able to ride on it. 

Oclober I st : Smout's height is 2 ft., 1 1 J^ ins. He is a great 
chatter-box and speaks very distinctly. He knows a great 
many stories out of the Bible and about half the letters of 
the alphabet,but he is not so fond of hymns as he used to be. 

December 3 rd : Mr. Senan at dinner. Smout recited the first 
4 lines of "On Linden" in great style waving his hands 



*S 



and making a splendid bow at the end. This is Cummy's 
teaching. 

December 5 th : His Grandfather was made "DD." to-day. 
When he was told, he said "Well, will he come to see you 
when you're ill?" 

December 6 th : Smout drove to Lassmade with Auntjane and 
Grandaunt Marion and at night "Grandpapa's horse" 
was included in his prayers. 

December 8 th : Smout said " I don't like that moon, it has got 
a bit broken off it." 

December io th : Smout was building the Tabernacle with his 
bricks to-day and he asked "where the Holy of Holies 
was," and said he was putting up the pins for the court. 
He then remarked "This Tabernacle is slicked on to the 
road, it is n't meant to be carried about." 

January 12 th : Poor Lou said in a doleful tone " I ' ve got no- 
body to play with me, will you come Mama?" 

January 15 th : Smout told about Pilgrims Progress much 
to his delight. 

January 21 st : Alan, Margaret and Bob come to pay us a 
visit, when they got home Bob told his sisters of the de- 
lights of I nverleith Terrace where "there was only one 
dear child who was always good, a nurse who was never 
cross and late dinners." 

January 24 th : Smout seems very tired, he came to me and 
said "Do you think I'm looking very ill?" It turns out 
infantile remittent fever. 

January j I st : Smout able to play with his bricks on a tea 
tray in bed. 



^6 



March 3 rd : Smout complained of the figs because he said 
"They had nuts inside them." Tom thinks this quite a 
scientific discovery. 

March 21 st : When I told Smout about the way the Ameri- 
cans used their slaves, he said "I think God might send 
them a punishment. ,, 

March 26 th : When I read "There is beyond the sky "to Lou 
he said "But why has God got a hell ? " I said "Are we good 
or bad people ?" Smout " I think you and Papa are good." 

[See page 24."] 

I said " But what kind of hearts have we ? " Smout " I think 
you 've a nice one." 

March 30 th : Smout was distressed to hear that sheep and 
horses did not know about God and said "I think some- 
body might read the Bible to them." 

April 12 th : Smout's little cousin "Bo "died to-day. He did 
not like to hear about it,andsaid"he hoped it would please 
God never to let him die." He asked if" Bo would be play- 
ing in Heaven." 

April 17 th : When Smout was drawing pictures he said "I 
have drawed a man's body, shall I do his j^/now?" 

April 19 th : When Smout was shown a bird's nest he said 
"There were little birdies in the nest and eggies for them 
to eat." 

May 18 th : Smout wishes us to bring him "a small hammer 
and four small nails" from London. 

June 26 th : Smout and I were talking about Heaven and 
Golden Harps and he said"ButI'm afraid I couldn't play 
nicely 'upon my one." 

July 17 th : Lou at Church at Inveresk.He said of the sermon 
"It was not so good as I thought." 



4*7 



July 24 th : Lou cried because he "forgot to pray that dear 
Papa might be brought safe home. ,, 

July 27 th : When Lou was asked if he admired a dress he said 
"No,it is very vulgar." 

September 15 th : Lou sawed through a piece of wood. 

[See page 25.] Teetb 

Two lower teeth : April 1 6 th , 1 8 5 1 . 
First upper tooth: May 1 8 th , 1 85 1. 
Second upper tooth : June 3 rd , 1 8 5 1 . 
Fifth tooth : June 8 th , 1 8 5 1 . 
Sixth tooth: June 27 th , 1851. 
Seventh tooth: September 2 nd , 185 1. 
Eighth tooth: October 4 th , 1 851. 
First double tooth : December 3 rd , 1 8 5 1 . 
2 nd and 3 rd double tooth: December 7 th , 1 851. 
4 th double tooth: December 16 th , 1851. 
First tooth lost: July 9 th , 1856. 

Two double teeth, 1 above and 1 below discovered: September 
4 th , 1852. 

J rd double tooth : September 2 7 th . 

4 th double tooth: October 23 rd . 

\_See page 26.~\ 

Otlober 14 th : Smout seesJaneWatson's baby and says cc She 
is very nice in the face." 

November ij th : Louis' 4 th birthday. He got a brooch to give 
to Cummy but said in a disappointed tone "People al- 
ways gets presents for themselves on their birthdays." 

December 2 nd : Home from Morningside where we had been 
for a month on Louis' account. He said he was glad to get 



4.$ 



home as we had not a nice sideboard at Morningside. It 
just had a place for setting things on and then another 
place for setting things on and that was all. 

December 8 th : Lou said " You can never be good unless you 
pray" when asked how he knew, he said with great em- 
phasis "Because I've tried it." 

December II th : Lou is improving, but requires to be kept 
very quiet. When forbidden to run about with one of his 
cousins, he looked thoughtful for a minute, then threw 
away a toy which he had in his hand, and said with great 
indignation, "I can't be bothered with such fiddle de dee 
and nonsense." 

December 18 th : Lou sits for his portrait in chalk to Mr.Arch- 
er.When Mr. Archer asked him what kind of stories he 
liked best he said " I like parables (a pause) and funny sto- 
ries,too,you know." He chalks over every picture he can 
get hold of. 

\_See page 27. ,] 

December 22 nd : Lou prays every night of his own accord 
that God would bless the poor soldiers that are fighting 
at Sebastopol. 

December 25 th : Smout got a sword for his Christmas pres- 
ent WhenTom was disparaging it, he said" I can tell you 
Papa, it is a silver sword and a gold sheath" and the boy's 
very well ofFand quite contented. 

1855 

January I st : Dear little Lou very well indeed just now he 
neither coughs nor wheezes. 

January 2 nd : Smout asked to have his name put on a book. 
I said "Mr. Smout is on it." He replied" Oh but you must 
put it's his book or somebody will say c och,och,och,Mr. 



+9 



Smoutie has been writing his name on one of his Papa's 

books/" 
January 5 th : Dear Smout's curls cut off to-day. I was quite 

sorry to part with them. His hair is made very short and 

he is rather a fright. 
January 8 th : Lou"Do the flies make honey?" Ma"No dear." 

Lou "Then do they make butter like butterftizsV Ma 

"Butterflies don't make butter." Lou "Then what is the 

use of them?" 

January p th : When made to wear a shawl above his sword 
he was in distress for fear it would not look like a soldier 
and then said "Do you think it will look like a night march> 
Mama?" 

January 10 th : When Lou saw the sun looking red he said 
" It's just like a great big orange thrown up into the sky." 

[Seepage 28.] 

January 12 th : Smout measured to-day, his height is 3 ft 3 
inches and half a quarter, he has grown almost 2^ inches 
since last April. 

January 16 th : Cummy was climbing the ladder to-day to 
hang up Dicky,and told Lou to hold it for her. It gave way 
and he began to say "It's too heavy,it's too heavy" but 
he did not let go his hold even when he got his nose bled, 
indeed he clutched at Cummy's gown to keep her from 
falling. 

January 18 th : Smout snibbed himself into the nursery to- 
day and we could not get the door open till Mr. Hunter 
(the wright) came and took out the panel. He was very 
good as long as any one spoke through the door to him, 
but cried when we tried to get him to open it. When he got 
out he said he had been afraid that he would never get out 
any more but would just be lost. 



fo 



January 22 nd : Lou has taken a great fancy to the parable of 
the vineyard let out to husbandmen and can repeat it per- 
fectly just from hearing it read. 

February 6 th : Lou dreamt that "he heard the noise of pens 
writing. ,, 

February y th : When I asked Lou what story he would like 
read, he said "Oh you may read the 9 th story of John, 
that's about the man that was born blind you know." 

February 8 th : Tom and I played at Willie Wastle with Lou 
last night. He was greatly delighted but got into such a 
state of excitement that he scarcely slept all night. 

[See page 2Q.] 

February 15 th : Lou is quite mad on the subject of soldiers, 
and the War. He prays night and morning for our poor 
soldiers that are fighting at Sebastopol and that they may 
get the victory. This is quite of his own accord. 

February 2j rd : Lou said "How can God give us his Holy 
Spirit and yet be good Himself? I'm at a loss," he also said 
"I'm often sorry in the night when I think of all the Jews 
did to Jesus." 

At this time Cummy had been ill and had gone home for 
a change and I had influenza and was confined to bed so 
Lou was very much alone. He generally spent his time in 
colouring the pictures in pictorial papers with coloured 
chalks. One day when his aunt Warden went in to see him 
she asked if he did not weary all alone,he replied "Oh no, 
I'm always doing something you know." 

March 5**: Lou thinks he is more like Jonathan than any 
of the other Bible characters as Jonathan had a sword and 
a bow and arrows, and so has he. He is generally either 
Jonathan or Lord Raglanjust now. 



March lf h : Smout's dream "I dreamt that I was going 
downstairs and I saw a Russian bear looking out at the 
pantry door,and it came up and took hold of my foot and 
I awoke and it was just a dream." 

\_$ee page 30.] 

March 29 th : Another dream." I dreamt thatlwas at a mar- 
riage and a boy asked me to go to his room and when I 
looked out at the window I saw a basket hanging down 
from the sky and it was full of doors all around and some- 
body gave me something that wasn't good for me and I 
would not take it."The something appeared to be a cookie 
of some kind and he said the basket "was hung on a nail 
driven into a cloud." 

May 6 th : Smout's sermon verbatim "Whoever entereth in- 
to a field on the Sunday and reapeth or picketh sticks is 
not of God and shall no^o to Heaven, but if he does 
anything more on the Sunday he must go to Hell. Every- 
one must do nothing that's wrong" Then a psalm was 
sung. 

May p th : Lou was naughty today, and after he went to bed 
he said to Cummy " I would like to be good, I think I must 
say my prayers more earnestly , but if I forget, will you do 
it for me?" 

June 16 th : Smout said "Am I to get a tuckie (sweetie) every 
night?" I thought I heard a slight voice of it. 

June 17 th : Smout complained that his tea was" 'very faint." 

July 5 th : (At Mount Clussie Lasswade) Smout said"There's 
a very large daisy not awake yet. Oh, I suppose it must be 
a night policeman for you know they keep awake all night 
and go to sleep through the day." 

July f h : Smout was asked " What would you do if you were 
left on a desert island?" S. "I would come away." "But if 



there was water all round?" S."I would come away in a 
ship. " " But if there was no ship ?"S." I would send a letter 
by the post." "If there was none?" S."I would sit down 
and take a hearty greet" (cry). 

[Seepageji.] 

August 10 th : Lou bathed in the sea (Portobello) for the first 
time and likes it very well. 

August 17 th : Lou now dips his face into the water himself 
and calls it going over the head. He is looking stronger 
than he has done for a long time, and enjoys digging in the 
sand. His favourite companion is little Marion Rhind. 

September I st : Smout's Poetry 

"No sun is in the sky- 
While night comes on 
Then stars and moon comes out 
And then another day 
The sun comes out again." 

September 22 nd : At Craggan near Arracher where we were 
staying with Grandpapa,we were all playing at tig (tag) and 
Smout said "I'll catch you round the house, Mama, but 
we'll both walk." 

September 24 th : Lou was trying to make a boat of a piece of 
stick and said it would not sail because the occurrence (cur- 
rent) was against it. 

Otlober 26 th : Smout was drawing a lamp, after he made the 
post he said "Now I will put the hat on it." 

November 4 th : Lou dined in the dining room with us at five 
o'clock for the first time. He is to do it every Sunday and 
thinks himself a very big man. 

1856 
January I st : Smout dines with us. 



X3 



January 13 th : Smout heard about fearing God, he said " Why- 
should people fear him as if he was going to kill them?" 

(Seepage 32.I 

January 17 th : Smout's prayer "O Lord if it seems good to 

you let me have a new brother or sister if you think 

proper." 

£ January 18 th : Lewie takes scarlatina to-day, a mild case. 

February 5 th : Dear wee Lou prayed among other things 
^ "that God would be very near every person that was not 
%ery well." 

February 17 th : When I asked Lou what he had been doing, 
he said "I've been playing all day— at least IVe been 
making myself cheerful" 

February 23 rd : When Tom told Smout about putting lines 
of stones for the wheels of carts, he said "that was a very 
good idea and when we come to that bridge I '11 shew you 
the railway and it's just the very same thing. And I '11 shew 
you another thing that I want to know the meaning of, 
and that's why they put soda water bottles on the tele- 
graph." 

February 24 th : I said something to Smout about Christ hav- 
ing died to save him, he said"Did He die to save me?" 
"Yes." "Me?" "Yes." "Well then, does n't that look very 
like as if I was saved already?" 

March y th : Smout said "I 'm going to call you 'Mother' 
sometimes just that I may remember to do it when I 'm a 
big man." At night he said, "Goodnight my gentlest of 
Mothers." 

March 15 th : Smout's syllogism "Mama, has a match gas?" 
"Why do you ask dear?" "Because Papa said flame was 
gas, now a match has a flame." 



J* 



\Seepage33*~\ 

March 25 th : Smout goes to Loms for dancing. "Joe" pro- 
nounced him stupid and gave him several blows with the 
fiddlestick— poor Smout looked at Cummy but did not 
cry. When Mrs. Warden asked him how he liked the danc- 
ing, he said "It was rather disappointing." He took cold 
after the lesson and was not able to go back. 

April 12 th : Smout and I come home after a week at Colin- 
ton. Smout is very sorry to leave and begs to be allowed 
to stay till Monday. 

April 18 th : Smout cannot understand the days getting long- 
er and says " he would rather go to bed at the 7 o'clock that 
used to be"* 

April 19 th : When saying the second verse of "I'm not too 
young" Smout said"Surely that's gross nonsense for it 
looks as if God only saw me when I sinned, now I thought 
He saw me always whatever I was doing." 

April 29 th : Smout discovered that he can make purple paint 
by mixing crimson and blue. 

June 15 th : Tom explained to Louis the rise of the sap up 
the stem to the branches — on asking him if he under- 
stood the explanation he said "Yes the sap is like an old 
man, and the root and stem, the horse that pulls him up 
the hill." 

July 4 th : Lou's had a bad attack of "Mrs. Sanley " after had 
toothache.— He woke in a fright and was quite delirious 
for some time— we had to get the doctor. 

* Publisher's Note.— This same idea is expressed in his well known "Bed in 
Summer" in "The Childs Garden of Verse" rhyme — 

"In winter I get up at night 
And dress by yellow candle light. 
In summer quite the other way 
I have to go to bed by day." 



JT 



iEW^XIS&IE?^^ 



July 6 th : When Lou got a book for taking a dose and was 
told it cost 2/6 he said cc If I had known it was so dear I 
would have choosed something else for I don't like to 
waste so much money on trifles/' 

[See page 34."] 

Billy Traquair and Lou had been eating buttercups which 
caused the feverish attack on the 5 th . 

September 27 th : Smout tried to fish for the first time (at In- 
verleithen) with a string and crooked pin. Tom Warden 
made him believe he had caught a fish and he was much 
charmed. 

September 30 th : Home from the country after a very wet 
summer. Smout is so enchanted with all his toys that he 
has scarcely time to eat. 

Oclober y th : Bob Stevenson comes to stay with us. 

November 13 th : Lou's 6 th birthday. Aunt Warden gives him 
a toy theatre and he and Bobbie set to work to paint the 
scenes with great eagerness. 

November 23 rd : Smout begins to-day to dictate a history of 
Moses to try for a prize which Uncle David is to give for 
the best. 

November 26 th : Lou has inflamation of the cheek. It is ter- 
ribly swelled and he suffers so much that he tells me per- 
haps he may never be better. 

December 21 th : Lou finished his history of Moses to-day. 
He dictated every word himself on the Sunday evenings. 

December 23 th : Lou gets a Bible picture book as a prize for 
his Moses and is greatly charmed. When he got it he said 
" But I do n't deserve it." 



/* 



i8 ?r 

February 6 th : Lou is still so feverish that we are alarmed & 
Tom gets Christison to see him. He says it is nothing but 
bronchitis, that he should soon be better, but this house 
(i InverleithTerrace) is bad for him it is so cold from be- 
ing an end house. 

[Seepages jf and j6J] 

February 13 th : Lou finished coloring a book of soldiers for 
David Alan— it was his own idea, he asked me to buy it 
for him. 

February 20 th : Took Lou to Colinton to-day for change, he 
complained of pain in his head and was very sick and ill 
all night. We sent for the doctor who says it is caused by 
milk, which he had been ordered— disagreeing with him. 

March 18 th : Lou still at Colinton and well. 

April 10 th : Take Lou to Bridge of Allan.Take Mrs.Hal- 
dane's lodgings where Lou is very happy with his gun. 
When Mrs. Warden saw him crouching behind a bush in 
the garden and asked what he was doing, he said "I'm 
hunting blawbacks." Auntie had been reading Mayne 
Reid's books to him. 

In May we leave InverleithTerrace and come to 1 7 Heriot 
Row. 

May 11 th : At Aberdown. Smout is improving very much 
here. He is getting very wild and like a boy. 

September 30 th : Dear Lewie goes toMr.Henderson's School 
in India St. from 10 till 12 o'clock. 

Oclober 6 th : Smout says "Mr. Henderson is the most nicest 
man that ever was." 

November 13 th : Dear Lewie spends his 7 th birthday in bed 
having taken bronchitis but he is much comforted by the 



S? 



ijflKMf R!*^, **^m.-: ^Arj4tt.m^&*^tt:X'?.3m-si&^^ JsreOT*^ 



companionship of his Skye terrier dog called "Coolin" 
which arrived lately from the West Coast. 

1858 

January 10 th : Smout." The Churches are much to blame for 
not sending missionaries to convert the Arabs." Mama. 
" But if people won't go what can the Churches do ? Will 
you go when you're big?" S."I think you've forgotten 
one word that was needful." M."What is that?" S."If I 'm 
spared." 

January 13 th : Smout takes bronchitis again. 

January 18 th : To-day Lou drew a picture of Sir Henry Have- 
lock praying which he sent to David Alan before his Papa 
had seen it. When he heard that I was vexed, he drew two 
others, but neither was so good as the first. The next time 
I saw him he said "I'm blamed for kindness and get no 
encouragement for endeavour." 

January 30 th : When told to take a sleep through the day 
Smout said "I'm just like Papa, I can never sleep in the 
daytime, I would be very thankful if I could." 

February 2 nd : Lou has been better and worse since the 13 th 
ult. Tonight he becomes much more feverish. 

February 6 th : When Tom went into the nursery at 1 2 p. m. 
Smout was wide awake and said "You see I have very bad 
nights, Papa, I 'm always thankful when the morning 
comes." Better on 1 2 th and goes to Colinton on 1 7 th ,much 
to his delight. He stays till March 9 th . 

March 10 th : Mr.Winstanley,a young English student, be- 
gins to teach Smout from 10 to 12. He turns out a disap- 
pointment, and goes off without paying his bills. 



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